The Great Depression In Britain

In 1929, the Wall Street Crash plunge the USA into economic depression. The Americans were alarmed, to the called all their loans to other countries and put up customs barriers to stop imports and foreign goods. This created the depression across the rest of the world.

The Great Depression - Unemployment

Unemployment in Britain rose to 2.5 million (25 per cent of the workforce) in 1933. Worst hit were the areas of heavy industry (eg coal, iron, steel and shipbuilding) in northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the north of England. These industries were already struggling because they had not organised after the first world war.The Great Depression meant that these industries then crumbled.